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UCF wakeboarder shifts priorities for nationals

UCF senior Steve Edwards concedes that wakeboarding hasn't been his top priority.

That will change this weekend when Edwards will compete in the fifth Collegiate Wakeboard National Championships at Orlando Watersports Complex.

Semifinals in wakeboarding and wakeskating and a last-chance qualifier are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Finals are scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday in women's wakeskating, 11 a.m. in men's wakeskating, 1 p.m. in women's wakeboarding and 3 p.m. in men's wakeboarding.

More than 30 schools, including UCF and Rollins, are expected. Admission is free. Pro wakeboarders Josh Sanders, Emily Copeland Durham and Trevor Hansen of Groveland are expected to attend and possibly serve as judges or perform a demonstration.

"I'm not devoting a lot of time to wakeboarding right now,'' Edwards said. "After I graduate, I'll have more time to work on improvement. I ride as much as time permits. I'm hopefully optimistic about this weekend's tournament. There's good competition there, like Jeff McKee."

Edwards finished third last year. McKee, who is from Winter Park and attends Rollins, was second, with Florida's Scott Hopkins first.

Edwards has been wakeboarding since he was 10 years old. Although he toured as a pro last year, his responsibilities in college are his focus now. "I focus on the number of tricks I'm going to do," said Edwards, a psychology major. "I practice until they become second nature, and I can do them on command."

Edwards, whose top competition for individual honors is expected to be Hopkins, McKee, Rollins' Josh Palma and Florida Southern's Jay Prock, will try to help UCF earn its second consecutive national title. The Golden Knights won last year in their first tournament.

"We practice daily or at least several times per week at a lake near the school," said Justin Savich, the UCF club's president.

Barrett Perlman of Rollins was second in wakeskating last year.

"I have to find the right mind-set," Perlman said. "Sometimes I'm overly confident. When I [wakeboard], sometimes it's horrible and sometimes it's awesome."

For the first time, nationals will be broken down into divisions, Perlman said. In men's wakeboarding, there will be categories for novices (no tricks), advanced riders (three tricks), outlaws (five or more tricks) and pros. Edwards, McKee and Hopkins are pros.

Women's wakeboarding will be broken down into novice and outlaw categories. "This has never been done before, being broken up by abilities in the grass-roots [collegiate] level," Perlman said. "Divisions are usually broken up by age."

Said McKee: "Everyone has fun; there's no stressing. The riders are all friendly, and everyone has a say. It's like a big college party.''